Napoli have officially removed Osimhen from their Serie A squad list and handed his squad number over to new signing Romelu Lukaku, who will wear the no.9 shirt for the 2024-25 season. The Nigerian’s removal from the squad comes after a visually disordered transfer deadline day, which saw him fail to agree a move either Chelsea or Al-Ahli of the Saudi Pro League. Osimhen remains contracted with Napoli until 2026 summer, and his contract costs around 10 million Euros per season in rewards.
He hoped to secure a move to Al-Ahli on a great 4-year contract worth 40 million Euro per season, but the move fell through when Napoli asked for more on the transfer fee. Eventually, Al-Ahli decided to sign England international Ivan Toney from Brentford instead. Napoli will be in league action on Saturday evening, hosting Parma at the Stadio Maradona.
New striker Lukaku is expected to start up front, while Billy Gilmour who arrived from Brighton on deadline day, could also be named on the bench. Scott McTominay will not be there but could debut against Cagliari after the international break. Mario Rui has also been taken off Napoli’s squad list to make way for new signings, but Michael Folorunsho keeps his place.
